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Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 7, 2025
East Palestine Health Impact Monitoring Act of 2025
This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to provide a grant to a consortium of institutions of higher education to conduct a long-term study on any human health effects from the train derailment (and subsequent venting and burning of chemicals) in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 3, 2023.
People & committees
Rep. Joyce, David P. [R-OH-14] · R–OH
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Jun 9, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-07 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed East Palestine Health Impact Monitoring Act of 2025 would require federal support for a study tracking human health effects over time from the February 3, 2023, train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and the subsequent venting and burning of chemicals. A group of colleges or universities would conduct the study, with preference in selection for groups with established community relationships.
This Act may be cited as the East Palestine Health Impact Monitoring Act of 2025.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services (referred to in this section as the Secretary) shall award a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement to an eligible entity for purposes of conducting a longitudinal study on any human health effects as a consequence of the February 3, 2023, train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and subsequent venting and burning of chemicals.
To be eligible for the award under subsection (a), an entity shall be a consortium of public or private institutions of higher education that demonstrates requisite capacity and expertise to carry out the study described in such subsection. The Secretary shall give additional consideration to eligible entities that have established relationships within the affected communities.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services would have to make an award for the study. The award could take the form of a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services (referred to in this section as the Secretary) shall award a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement to an eligible entity for purposes of conducting a longitudinal study on any human health effects as a consequence of the February 3, 2023, train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and subsequent venting and burning of chemicals.
Eligible applicants would have to be consortia—groups working together—of public or private colleges or universities. They would have to demonstrate the capacity and expertise needed to conduct the study.
To be eligible for the award under subsection (a), an entity shall be a consortium of public or private institutions of higher education that demonstrates requisite capacity and expertise to carry out the study described in such subsection.
The Secretary would have to give additional consideration to eligible groups with established relationships in affected communities. This is a selection preference, not a guarantee of an award.
The Secretary shall give additional consideration to eligible entities that have established relationships within the affected communities.
Within two years after the award, the Secretary would have to report to the Senate health committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee on study progress, challenges, and the expected schedule for completion and publication.
The Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives—
(1) not later than 2 years after the date on which an award is made pursuant to subsection (a), a report summarizing the progress of such study, including a description of any challenges related to conducting such study and an anticipated timeline for completion of such study and publication of results;
Within one year after the study results are published, the Secretary would have to report to those committees on the results and any ongoing or planned work to support further research or, as appropriate, otherwise address the findings.
The Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives—
(2) not later than 1 year after publication of such results, a report describing such results and any ongoing or planned activities of the Secretary to support or conduct further research and, as appropriate, otherwise address such results.
The bill would authorize Congress to provide whatever funding is necessary for fiscal year 2026, with funds available through September 30, 2030. This authorizes future appropriations; it does not itself provide money or specify a dollar amount.
There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026, to remain available until September 30, 2030, to carry out this Act.
The supplied action snapshot, updated June 9, 2025, records that the bill was introduced in the House and referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on February 7, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2025-06-09T18:19:30Z. 2025-02-07: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. 2025-02-07: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-07. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy rider was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No earmark was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. A geographically focused study authorization does not by itself establish an earmark. This conclusion is limited to that version; formal earmark status cannot be fully assessed without accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
Findings to examine
The supplied introduced text contains an express preference among eligible applicants. Its identification is not a judgment about its justification.
Eligible college and university consortia with established relationships in affected communities would receive additional consideration for the study award. This favors a subset of eligible applicants and is directly related to conducting the community-focused health study; the text does not guarantee them selection.
To be eligible for the award under subsection (a), an entity shall be a consortium of public or private institutions of higher education that demonstrates requisite capacity and expertise to carry out the study described in such subsection. The Secretary shall give additional consideration to eligible entities that have established relationships within the affected communities.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Jun 9, 2025. How PlainBill uses AI